[Terrapreta] terra preta in India

[Gerald Van Koeverden]

These people in Aurobrindavan Auroville, india, have been doing a lot  
of work trying to re-create terra preta soils.  They are making  
connections between those soils and an indigenous system of charring  
biomass for rice nursuries:

"Raab is a system of charring biomass used by some tribal communities  
in India. It consists of making beds of various layers of dry, half- 
dry and fresh woody and leafy biomass, dung and clay. The thus  
layered bed is fully sealed with clay and cold fired (burning in  
reduced conditions). In the resultant residues rice nurseries are  
started. The tribals affirm that this gives perfect growth to the  
rice plants. Charcoal bits, ash, wood vinegar or wood tar as well as  
sulfur that may have been absorbed by the clay, would explain the  
growth enhancing factors of the raab system."


http://www.annadana.com/actu/new_news.cgi?id_news=159

Gerrit
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